News

Purdue University’s “All-American” Marching Band will perform in the Feria de las Flores (Festival of Flowers), from Aug. 4-10 in Medellín, Colombia.

Colombia is one of the world’s largest exporters of fresh cut flowers. During the Festival of Flowers, citizens use fresh flowers to construct elaborate floats that are carried on their backs throughout the parade. The parade celebrates the end of slavery in Colombia, with the floats representing the people that slaves carried up the mountains on their backs.

Purdue’s “All-American” Marching Band will participate in a variety of performance, cultural and school engagements beyond parading in the festival during their visit. Its members will also help build floats alongside Colombian citizens and engage with young musicians in Colombia to inspire and teach them the importance of performance in the arts as part of a thriving economy.

On February 28, 2015 at the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center, Purdue University “All-American” Marching Band held auditions for the Featured Soloist Twirler positions. As a result of these auditions, the following representatives will be serving as ambassadors for Purdue University and its beloved marching band for the 2015-2016 Academic Year:

January 17, 2015, over 2,000 high school and middle school student musicians competed with jazz big bands and combos during Purdue University’s 25th Anniversary Jazz Festival. Purdue’s longstanding pillar in the jazz learning community welcomed professionals in the industry to serve as adjudicators and internationally performing guest artists who conducted clinics throughout the day.

On Sunday, April 29, 2014 in the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms, the Purdue Bands and Orchestras Department hosted their end-of-semester awards banquet. Over $80,000 in student scholarships Wind Ensemblere awarded to student musicians from Purdue University.

Additionally, two supporters of the Bands and Orchestras program at Purdue Wind Ensemblere recognized at the banquet. Drew Damon, a Propulsion Development Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies, and young alumnus of the Purdue Jazz Band, was presented with the Shooting Star Award recognizing a young alumnus with great achievement in his career. Jeff Gulick, Director of Follett’s Purdue Bookstores, was awarded the Block P Award for his continuous support of the department.

After over four years of visionary leadership, Vanessa Castagna is resigning as chairman of the Advisory Board for Purdue Bands & Orchestras to serve the university as a member of the Board of Trustees of Purdue University. She will remain on the board as a member. Tom Lester, former snare drummer and Supply Officer with the “All-American” Marching Band and percussion section leader in the Symphonic Band, will assume the leadership role for the board effective immediately.

On April 4, 2014, Purdue Winter Guard competed in the Winter Guard Internationl (WGI) semi-finals and finals in Dayton, OH. The group finished 15th place in the Independent A division with a final score of 85.005 out of 100. The team’s final placement was 15 out of 74 competing units.

Join us in congratulating Brookelyn Ebeyer, the captain of the Purdue Golduster Dance Team for the 2013-2014 “All-American” Marching Band, for making the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders! Click below for more details.